Posts Tagged ‘CarolinaDGC.com’

The past Memorial Day Weekend, I had the opportunity to play with three of the most beautiful ladies to play Buckhorn DGC; Lauren, Melanie, and Heidi.

We only had time to play the front nine holes, but it was a great experience for Melanie and Heidi. We’re already planning our next DG outing, which will probably be Cedar Hills DGC, Kentwood DGC, or maybe Cedarock DGC… we’ll see!

Since spring of 2007, I have been a loyal fan of www.DGCourseReview.com (DGCR), a leader in online reviews of Disc Golf Courses around the world.

DGCourseReview.com is a Community over over 4,000 avid Disc Golf Professionals, Amateurs, and Enthusiasts who contribute to the site through detailed Disc Golf Course reviews and by participating in the various discussion forums. The Community boasts an impressive 3,100+ reviews of domestic and international Disc Golf Courses.

With so many individuals submitting DGC reviews of varying quality, DGCR has developed a unique method of identifying credible or “Trusted Reviewers” using Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals which are displayed next to the username of the Trusted Reviewer.

After over a year of lurking on the site, reading various reviews and visiting some of the local disc golf courses, I finally decided to join the community this past January 2009. Since then, I have submitted 10 reviews of local area courses, and have acquired over 60 positive votes, while only receiving 2 negative votes on my reviews. As of Sunday, March 29th, I finally received my Bronze Medal indicating my status as a “Bronze Level Trusted Reviewer.”

Of course, to most non-writers/reviewers, this may not be of much importance, but I take great pride in providing my readers with the best analysis and course tips-and-tricks as I possibly can. When other Disc Golf players submit positive votes for my reviews, it helps to validate and appreciate the dedication that other contributors and myself have submitted to not only DGCourseReview.com, but to the entire sport of Disc Golf as a whole.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the individuals who have taken the time and patience to read my various reviews, and for providing positive feedback on them. I encourage those of you whom have never played the game of Disc Golf to give it a try sometime, and to look to sites like DGCourseReview.com and other player’s personal blogs for guidance, suggestions, and reviews.

I also urge each of you to also consider contributing to such sites, and participate in the various leagues, teams, and communities of passionate and dedicated professional and recreational disc golfers. Hopefully, if the weather is good and the timing is just right, we’ll meet each other on the course some day!

As expected, Saturday brought rains and moderate to heavy winds to North Carolina. However, needless to say, rain and wind have never stopped me from the urge to go Disc Golfing. So yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit and play the University of Chapel Hill’s Disc Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC.

This review marks the 10th and final local Disc Golf Course review, which will now allow me to venture outside of the “Triangle Area” to other courses in cities such as Fayetteville, Charlotte, Asheville, and more!

Weather conditions were approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit, cloudy, and with moderate winds (before the storm); after which it became rainy and very wet. It had been raining for two days prior to this visit, so the course was soaked to its maximum capacity.

The University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Disc Golf Course is definitely built upon the reminence of a former ball golf course. I couldn’t tell you what the former course was called, but when playing Holes #13-15, you can definitely tell the origins of this course.

UNC DGC is a smorgasbord of everything that could ever challenge an avid Disc Golfer. The first nine holes feature moderate to heavily wooded valley shots, water hazards in the form of a respectable sized pond and creeks, tight wooded shots, blind shots over hills and through valleys, and even some open fielded holes.

According to the official UNC DGC scorecard that I recently received, “All Holes Are Par 3.” However, especially on the back nine, there are several legitimate Par 4 holes (Holes 13-15). The back nine features three of the most beautifully crafted open-field valley shots in the Triangle, ranging from 350-467 ft in distance; a challenge for any long distance thrower.

While on paper, the course should be my favorite course in the Triangle, however, I feel that it just doesn’t meet what I would personally expect from a course maintained by UNC. The first nine holes are littered with debris from previous course construction and storms. Signage is available at almost every hole, while some signage having been obviously vandalized.

There are only restroom facilities near the parking lot and tennis courts, where you first came into the course, and the course takes you quite far away from those facilities, so please keep that in mind. For those who require rest areas (benches) along the way, there are what looks to be brand new wooden benches at almost every tee, so rest assured on that.

Unfortunately, the baskets are completely mis-numbered, which leads to massive confusion on the course. We played between two groups of new players to the course, which is a good sign that the UNC DGC is getting new found attention, however, neither the group ahead, nor the group behind us had a map, so we ended up leading both groups. I had printed out a map of the course, but was amazed at how easily lost we became while playing the course, mostly due to mis-numbered baskets.

The best way to play this course is to print out a map, completely ignore the numbers of the baskets, and follow the navigation tips outlined below.

Navigation Tips for the UNC DGC

We used Google Maps to give us instructions, and going down 15-501 from I-40 is not the best option. I of course did not pay close enough attention to the overall area, so I should have gone down Hwy 54 West from I-40 (toward Chapel Hill, NC), turned LEFT onto Country Club Rd, and made a RIGHT turn into the Outdoor Education Center.

The parking lot is at the top of a hill that looks down upon a steep drive/pathway, with tennis courts to your right. Please use caution, as the driveway and even the steps are angled downward and may be are quite steep for some.

Tee #1 is on the left at the bottom of the steep hill, opposite the rock climbing wall.

The course is laid out hole after hole while following trails that encircle the entire Outdoor Center (Park).

From what I was able to tell some holes have multiple tees, while others do not. Some tees are the usual rectangular concrete tees, while others are trapezoid shaped concrete tees. There’s signage indicating the hole design and distance at almost all of the tees.

Hole #2′s tee is located to the left of the pond on the pathway, so you’ll have to back-track a little bit. It is a blind shot and the basket is on the other side, slightly to the left.

Hole #3 goes directly over the pond.

Hole #4 is an open field which after and during rain (even light rain), becomes extremely muddy and treacherous to get through. There’s a creek to the left side, surrounded by semi-dense brush and bushes, avoid it. It also appears that people have been “mudding” in this field, even after UNC has tried to grow new grass, hence the light straw coverage.

After Hole #5, you’ll see two paths to the right of the basket. DO NOT take the path on the right, which goes over a small wooden pedestrian walking bridge. Take the path on the LEFT which goes down a few meters and goes under a stone bridge. If you see a chain that looks like it’s blocking the path under the bridge, ignore it. When you arrive on the other side of the bridge, you’ll see that there is a small opening for pedestrians to pass through this chain fence. You’ll immediately see Tee #6 straight ahead.

After Hole #6, head behind the basket to the LEFT, and up over the ROCKY pathway that curves uphill and to the left to Tee #7.

After Hole #10, DO NOT follow the path with the fence. Back-track and head back toward Tee #10, and you’ll see Tee #11 on the RIGHT.

Take CAUTION on Hole #12, as a stray disc too far left will go very far down hill and into the baseball field. There have been reports of the field being locked periodically.

After Hole #15, you’ll go down a path behind the basket and downhill. Your natural reaction will be to follow the path toward the Ropes/Challenge Course, DO NOT do this! You’ll see a broken asphalt path on your RIGHT that goes back up hill toward Tee #15. Follow this path 1/2 way up the hill, and you’ll see a VERY SMALL path on your LEFT. This path will take you to Tees #16 & #17.

Hole #18′s Tee is located next to the Ropes/Challenge Course. Please take CAUTION, as the gate is ALWAYS locked, and a stray disc to the RIGHT would land your disc in a “No Trespassing” area, and the fence is quite high, and VERY difficult to climb…

In summary, I enjoyed playing at UNC’s DGC. However, while I find the challenges to be quite varied and spread out throughout the course, I also feel as if the course itself still needs improvement. The current state of the course, leaves much to be desired in terms of SAFETY, NAVIGATION, DESIGN, and cleanliness.

With so much debris on the course during the first few holes, the course can be quite treacherous compared to other courses such as Buckhorn, Cedar Hills, or Valley Springs. Navigation is impaired due to vandalized signage, missing signage, and mis-numbered baskets throughout the entire course. The design is slightly flawed in that quite a few of the baskets require a player to backtrack to find the next tee, and without proper signage, can be extremely difficult to accomplish.

In regards to cleanliness, UNC has provided plenty of “Carolina Blue” themed trash receptacles, and yet some of the players that frequent this course choose to ignore the luxury of trash receptacles. This of course is in no way a fault of UNC, but does reflect upon the caliber of a small group of players at this course.

After loosing my Innova Champion Boss at Southern Community DGC a few weeks back, I finally received my new Innova Star Boss distance drivers from DiscGolfCenter.com! Besides the new “workhorse” discs, I’ve also been waiting for nicer weather here in central North Carolina.

Last Saturday, I finally got as chance to visit the Cedar Hills Rotary Park Disc Golf Course (Cedar Hills DGC) in Raleigh, NC this past Saturday afternoon, right before we left for Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. Weather conditions were approximately 68 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, and with calm winds.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The light to moderate wooded landscape provided plenty of shade to play in, but allowed enough light to penetrate the course for perfectly lighted play. The scenery is typical for this type of course, and the elevation changes create a perfect balance to the course, ranging from open flats, to uphill/downhill shots, a few blind fairways, to tight corridor channels.

As with many Disc Golf Courses, Cedar Hills DGC is built into an existing City Park, and nestled in between quiet and serene neighborhoods. Please use caution when playing the course, as some of the fairways parallel baseball and playground areas. On busy days, especially on the weekends, if may become quite dangerous for little kids at the park.

Navigation Tips for Cedar Hills DGC

When you first arrive at Cedar Hills DGC, you’ll be coming down Sweetbrier Drive from Millbrook Road. Ignore the brown informational sign that tells you to turn left to get to Cedar Hills Park, and just keep driving down Sweetbrier until it dead ends into the parking lot.

Tee #1 is on the right of the parking lot, nearest the roofed information sign down toward the playground area.

The course is laid out much like Buckhorn DGC in New Hill, NC. So you’ll be playing hole after hole while going down a long trail that encircles the entire park.

From what I was able to tell some holes have multiple tees, while others do not. The regular tees are marked with concrete “sun ray” panels (usually used to surround and protect tree roots at local shopping centers and malls). The Pro Tees are indicated by “traditional” concrete tee pads.

Signage is mixed, as it seems that over the years the signs have been weathered down, damaged, vandalized, or completely omitted (theft?).

Hole #11 – Head across the parking lot to the far left corner of the baseball field to find the Tee for Hole #12.

After Hole #18, follow the path to the left toward the kids playground to find the parking lot that you parked in.

Overall, I think that the Cedar Hills Disc Golf Course, locally, is second only to Buckhorn DGC in terms of difficulty, challenge, and elevation utilization. The terrain is well mixed, but with only one water hazard, similar to Hole #17 at Buckhorn DGC. Therefore, the scenery is much more like Cornwallis DGC or Valley Springs DGC in Durham, NC.

There are currently only benches on select tees on the course, and if you are a player which requires plenty of resting areas along the course, this would not be your ideal DGC. You’ll also want to bring comfortable shoes that will support your feet on rough terrain, as part of the course require going up and down fairly graded hills.

This is a good beginner to intermediate course, which features a nice mash-up of various challenges. Water hazards and heavy brush and thick thorn bushes provide hazards on select holes. The wide open holes are great for those looking to fully utilize their power drives, while the elevation changes and tight fairways on certain holes will challenge the Technical players.

Pros:
- Different types of challenges on every hole.
- Maintained pathways, fairways, and baskets.
- Perfect mixture of woodlands, hills, and valleys.
- Multiple Tees on some holes (I didn’t find all of them)
- Maintained Concrete Tees
- Nice scenery, great for families that love DG.
Cons:
- Can be muddy even after light rain.
- Weekends can produce heavy traffic on the course.
- Mixed Condition Signage
- Not all tees have available benches
- Caution: Some baskets are parallel to kids play areas.

The Town of Cary maximized the quality of the Middle Creek DGC, by using elevation and natural scenery to it’s advantage. Though not the best course in the area, Middle Creek does contain a good mixture of wide open fairway shots, to elevated tees, to tight woodland fairways, and variety of challenges for players of all abilities, especially for beginner to intermediate players.

Some notable challenges include wide open shots along the main roads, as well as some in the woods. There are shots that require shooting over a valley downhill, as well as uphill. There’s even a blind shot that cuts downhill and 90 degrees to the left, which I amazingly made par on.

My main complaint about this course is in regards to signage. The following are navigational tips for navigating the course, at least until they install adequate signage on the course.

When I first arrived and parked in the parking lot by Hole #18, I had a hard time figuring out which way to get to Tee #1. You need to walk back across the street to the left, in order to find Tee #1.

After Hole #5, head across the street to get to Tee Marker #6.

After Hole #6, cross the street to the left of the “Caution Flying Discs” sign to find Tee #7.

After Hole #8, walk down the street, and take the sidewalk to the left, and you’ll see the dirt path on the left.

After Hole #9, follow the sidewalk to the left, headed toward the playground to Tee #10.

Hole #15 is a semi-blind shot. The basket is down the steps and to the left about 40 ft.

Pros:
- Different types of challenges on every hole.
- Maintained pathways, fairways, and baskets.
- Perfect mixture of woodlands, hills, and valleys.
- Plenty of restrooms at the Park.
- Multiple Tees on some holes (I didn’t see all of them)

Cons:
- Quite muddy even after light rain.
- Weekends can produce heavy traffic on the course.
- Non-uniform Dirt & Mulch Tees.
- No signage indicating direction of next tee.
- No benches like most established courses.
- Requires quite a bit of travel between holes.
- Caution: Some baskets are parallel to public roads.
- No Numbers on all Baskets.